Nanometer-Scale Studies Using Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
Volker Deckert, the winner of the 2013 Charles Mann Award, is advancing the use of tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) to push the lateral resolution of vibrational spectroscopy well below the Abbe limit, to achieve single-molecule sensitivity. Because the tip can be moved with sub-nanometer precision, structural information with unmatched spatial resolution can be achieved without the need of specific labels.
An interview with Volker Deckert, the winner of the 2013 Charles Mann Award for Applied Spectroscopy.
The first in the 2013 podcast series presented in collaboration with the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), in connection with SciX 2013, the federation’s North American conference.
For more podcasts in this series from 2013 and 2012, visit
Volker Deckert is a professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena and at the Institute of Photonic Technology, both in Jena, Germany.
The goal of his group’s research is to push the lateral resolution of vibrational spectroscopy. The main tool for their projects is tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS).
They use plasmonic nanoparticles with specific optical properties at the very end of a sharp tip. With such a probe, lateral resolution well below the Abbe limit can be achieved, and the limits of detection reach single-molecule sensitivity. Because the tip can be moved with sub-nanometer precision, structural information with unmatched spatial resolution can be achieved without the need of specific labels.
About the Charles Mann Award
The Charles Mann Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated advancements at a conference presented by FACSS in the field of applied Raman spectroscopy and/or demonstrated dedication to the advancement of the Raman spectroscopy program at a conference presented by FACSS or the ASTM Raman subcommittee.
More about the SciX conference:
The traditional North American meeting of FACSS is now SciX - The Great Scientific Exchange. SciX covers the whole of analytical chemistry with an emphasis on emerging technologies. SciX carries on the FACSS tradition of a strong technical program (over 100 symposia), many prestigious awards, exhibits, a variety of workshops, an employment bureau and multiple social networking opportunities.
SciX is the National Meeting of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) and the North American Society for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (NASLIBS).
For more information about the SciX 2013 conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 29 to October 4, 2013, visit scixconference.org
Follow Spectroscopy and FACSS on social media:
Tomas Hirschfeld: Prolific Research Chemist, Mentor, Inventor, and Futurist
March 19th 2025In this "Icons of Spectroscopy" column, executive editor Jerome Workman Jr. details how Tomas B. Hirschfeld has made many significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy and has inspired and mentored many leading scientists of the past several decades.
Biomedical Analysis at the Nanometer Scale with SERS
May 7th 2012Part of a new podcast series presented in collaboration with the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), in connection with SciX 2012 ? the Great Scientific Exchange, the North American conference (39th Annual) of FACSS.
Raman Spectroscopy Aflatoxin Detection Enhances Peanut Safety
March 11th 2025A research team from Jiangsu University has developed a Raman spectroscopy-based method to detect aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in peanuts with improved accuracy and efficiency. By employing a two-step hybrid strategy integrating backward interval partial least squares (BiPLS) and variable combination population analysis (VCPA), the new model significantly enhances the precision of AFB1 detection, providing a more reliable approach for food safety monitoring.
A New Radiation: C.V. Raman and the Dawn of Quantum Spectroscopy, Part II
March 10th 2025In this Icons of Spectroscopy column, Executive Editor Jerome Workman Jr. delves into Part II of the Raman Effect, discovered by C. V. Raman, a physicist whose major contributions to vibrational spectroscopy have helped shape the field and advance one of the most important quantum-based spectroscopy tools of recent generations.
